SAILING, SAILING, OVER THE OCEAN BLUE! MARCH 8-23, 2018

 Nothing beats a beautiful day in Ft Lauderdale especially when it was our embarkation day aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria.  The start to our three month journey began with a two week transatlantic cruise that would take us to Southampton, UK.  We've been taking transatlantic cruises for many years and know it's the best way to arrive relaxed and ready to jump into the adventures once there. We'd sailed aboard the QE2 on our very first cruise in 1978. As new ships were added to the Cunard line we always made sure to experience them, so it was finally time to sail on the Queen Victoria. It just happened that watching our favorite PBS special Victoria also seemed to make this the perfect moment.

We'd stored the RV and car in Jacksonville, FL and flew to Ft Lauderdale the evening before as we  never want to risk the chance that a flight might delay our cruise. We had a rental car which was a huge endeavor the evening before with so many people waiting for the buses that take passengers from the airport to the rental car agency, I almost wondered if it was worth the effort.  But, an advantage was finding the most wonderful Turkish restaurant the next morning with my kind of breakfast food at the Izmir Cafe, tucked away in a little shopping center! Perfect start to our trip.

  And, so, we stepped on board to our ocean view room about noon, March 9 with the beautiful sea views and a bottle of champagne and Godiva chocolates waiting for us.  We so rarely book a balcony but rather always an inside cabin, but the price difference between to two rooms wasn't much. It was an extra special treat to have views all the way across the sea. Of course, I'm now probably spoiled and will never want an inside room again.

  

 We did the usual tour of the ship then found a shady spot to take in the view of Key Biscayne.

 Then I did a little unpacking and it was time for the champagne toast and Sailaway!

 The promenade deck would be our main hangout on board...deck chairs and views, what more could we want!

 This was the first time we'd sailed on a Transatlantic that had two scheduled stops north along the east coast before turning east.  After sailing a very few miles we arrived the first morning in Cape Canaveral and decided to just grab a seat on the shuttle bus provided by the ship and walk the beach for the afternoon...but way too crowded, even with the cloudy, humid skies. Somehow I'd already lost my sunglasses the evening before so I picked up a new pair, though they wouldn't be much help, not being prescription.

From there we sailed further north with a lovely overnight stop in Charleston, SC. The sunny mid-day sky became gray and chilly as the weather changed. But, I needed some walking, PK just wanted to relax. I walked the city for about 2 hours. Perfect!!! So many beautiful homes and little alleyways.

 Plus, I got this great photo of the ship as I came closer. By now the skies were sprinkling slightly.

 That evening, we made a table change which was great!  I'd originally reserved just a table for two, but it was in a terrible location, so we thought we'd see if there was a table for 6 we could join the second night on board. Turns out we met 2 other lovely couples, one British couple and one couple American wife and British husband. A great mix of personalities! The three of us women had all be in education and the guys were a mixed bag and always fun. Plus, they already had the best table on the ship...the rear facing Oceanview table would be ours all the way across the Atlantic!

Since we had the overnight stay and weren't leaving till noon on Monday, I tried something new for us! We needed a backpack so I got the idea to order one from Amazon while we were in Florida and have it delivered to an Amazon Locker in Charleston. It was set up outside of a Whole Foods market and so easy to find. With the passcode emailed to me, I found the locker number, entered the code and "pop" the door open and there was my parcel! Amazing, and actually so perfect of us! We never have a delivery address in order to buy on Amazon so this clever system will now make ordering that much easier!

Plus I picked up my traditional bouquet of flowers for our room while we were there; this time tulips were in full bloom! 

 But once we sailed out of Charleston the sun was out and we now were on our way to Bermuda. Being our first sea day, I had time to wander the ship and take photos of our lovely surroundings. I loved the rugs in front of all the elevator areas throughout the ship, and the gathering rooms were so beautiful, having been refurbished just 6 months before.

 We arrived early morning at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Bermuda with this view out our window. Visiting Hamilton was just a ferry ride across the bay.

 And, it was the first of four formal nights on board!

 On Transatlanic sailings there are always speakers, and tons of activities, but we mostly enjoyed just sitting, or walking the decks with plenty of time to read. I really wasn't interested in the topics this time but Paul had fun listening to a former British Intelligence gentleman hearing some amazing stories.

About a month before we took off on the trip I'd learned that a local and very favorite San Luis Obispo author, Susan Branch, was also traveling to England on our same ship!  I'd seen her the day we were in Ft Lauderdale but really hadn't spotted her around the ship again...until the evening of our 2nd formal night, St Patrick's Day, when I caught sight of her. So, naturally I said hello and got this fun photo of us together with her husband, Joe. So fun for me!

He's recharging for the evening activities...a late 8:30 dinner seating followed by nightly performances in the Royal Theater requires an afternoon nap.

Our next four days were at sea until we docked in Praia da Vitoria, Azores, Portugal.

It as mostly cloudy with rain mid afternoon but a cute small town with a wonderful first stop to have a delicious cappuccino and check our emails since we'd had no internet service for over a week.

Of course when a cruise ship with 1800 passengers shows up the town becomes a very busy and fun place. This was the local band performing at the top of the shopping street. I'd found some cute little hand knitted gifts for Harvey and Mandy's two daughters so we stopped at the Post Office before going on to see the rest of the town.

The architecture is so unusual; tile roof with white walls, and painted corners and stone sash windows. Quite beautiful.

The town is along a bay with lovely sandy beaches, a little hard to see with this view.

Most impressive of all building sis the Igreja Matrix de Santa Cruz, a beautiful parish church built in 1500s. with two bell towers we could see from the ship. It's been damaged several times by earthquakes over the years, the most recent in 1980. There was a young parishioner sharing the story of the church and describing some of the gilded wood carvings.

We just wandered up and down streets, often seeing remains of structures right amidst those rebuilt.

Darling small church along our walk

sculptures along the beach

And the most unique patterns on these cobbled streets

The ship was sailing at 5 that afternoon so we went back for our wonderful afternoon "Tea". After all...what else do you do on a British cruise ship between 3 and 4 pm???

Besides afternoon tea, wonderful food, lovely rooms and lounges, we were treated to a fantastic afternoon fashion show by British designer, Zandra Rhodes. With her own pink hair and high style she presented a most wonderful show onboard over three different days so all could enjoy it.  Dame Zandra, is a 75 year old fashion and textile designer known for her brightly printed garments and they were absolutely gorgeous, especially when modeled by the young dancers and crew of the ship.  What a treat!

And here she is after the show, she's the shortest in the photo.  What an interesting woman.  Besides her stands a tall gentleman who created the jewelry to accessorize the garments.

Each night we'd arrive at this table for dinner, and if we were lucky and were the first ones there we'd take the window seats, watching the swells from the ship disappear into the night.

One of our last formal nights was titled, Masquerade. I love this hand-painted dress which I bought several years ago while visiting Paul's sister in Guadalajara but I rarely have the chance to wear it. This evening seemed the perfect occasion as it was also our 48th Anniversary! What fun to celebrate with a bottle of champagne and lots of laughter.

And then it was our last evening...a fantastic band had joined us in the Azores and we partied past midnight with a fun ballon drop to finish our night, and our cruise.

The idea of traipsing around Europe and England for another two months with all these bags was a little overwhelming. Can you tell? The one from the ship with all the cruise and evening clothes just had to make the rest of the journey along with us. I was soon to learn that much of what I'd packed for our time in England would never keep us warm enough!!!  But we were here, and off to some amazing months ahead!